Under $10: Lamp-Free Gel Polishes for an Indestructible Manicure

The shiny, durable finish of gel nail polish is enough to make a girl want to throw down $35 every few weeks for the rest of her life, but the time and nail damage involved are undeniable bummers. That’s why these new semi-gel nail polishes are such a great compromise: They’re inexpensive, dry quickly to a hard finish, and resist chipping and dullness longer than traditional polishes do. Requiring two coats of color and one layer of topcoat—no UV or LED curing lamp necessary—these gel polishes are even faster to apply than regular polish.